Medically Underserved Area High-priority · dental care only

OR · Healthcare shortage profile

Deschutes County, OR

Peak severity leads this reading: Deschutes County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 198,253.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
198,253
Peak shortage score
20.0
MUA Index
47.2
OR state overview → About this data

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Deschutes County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

6
Active HPSA designations
2
Dental shortages
20
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Deschutes County, OR on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-15. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.

  1. Peak HPSA score 20.0 clears HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.

    Scores at or above 17 on the 0–25/26 scales open NHSC placement priority for the matching provider type; eligibility still follows the designated area, not the county boundary alone.

  2. Closing Deschutes County's active designations would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 8.9 primary care, 3 mental health, 8.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Deschutes County's 6 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).

Deschutes County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

10 Census ZCTAs intersect Deschutes County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.

Largest land-share ZCTAs

2 additional ZCTAs intersect this county in the crosswalk (ordered by land share).

Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.

Deschutes County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

6 Top 46% higher than 54% of 3,289 real US counties

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026

State peer position. Deschutes County falls in the lower half of OR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 24 of 36. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 41017. Population: 198,253.

Single high-priority discipline

Deschutes County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is dental care

Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active dental care designations to Deschutes County , with a peak score of 20.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the dental care records.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 47.2

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 16.0
Mental Health 16.0
Dental 20.0

Current designated records only. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?

Highest-severity HPSA designations

All 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Deschutes County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LA Pine Community Health Center dental 20.0
LA Pine Community Health Center primary_care 16.0
ME - Deschutes County mental_health 16.0
LA Pine Community Health Center mental_health 15.0
ME - Deschutes County dental 14.0
ME-Deschutes County primary_care 13.0

Moderate-burden reading for Deschutes County

Peak severity leads this reading: Deschutes County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Deschutes County's deepest shortage reading, 20.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 16.0 of 25; Mental health reads 16.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 47.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Deschutes County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.

Deschutes County falls in the lower half of OR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 24 of 36. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Deschutes County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Deschutes County's active designations: about 20 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Acting on Deschutes County's high-priority dental care

Deschutes County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Deschutes County's high-priority dental care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's dental care burden compares with the rest of OR before drawing conclusions from a single score. OR overview
  • Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. HPSA score lookup

HPSA scores describe shortage severity within HRSA's designation criteria, not the availability of any individual provider. For a specific appointment, contact a provider or your insurer; use HRSA's current tools to verify a designation.

Nearby dental score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Deschutes County's 20.0. Open Isabella County, MI or Carroll County, NH next.

Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Isabella County, MI

20.0 score 64,394 pop.

Carroll County, NH

20.0 score 50,107 pop.

Gadsden County, FL

20.0 score 43,826 pop.

Counties near Deschutes County's dental score of 20.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “LA PINE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER”).

Isabella County, MI

20.0 dental score · 64,394 pop.

Carroll County, NH

20.0 dental score · 50,107 pop.

Gadsden County, FL

20.0 dental score · 43,826 pop.

Plymouth County, MA

20.0 dental score · 530,819 pop.

Canadian County, OK

20.0 dental score · 154,405 pop.

Josephine County, OR

20.0 dental score · 88,090 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Deschutes County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Deschutes County carries an MUA designation (index 47.2; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
Which record sets Deschutes County's peak score of 20.0?
"LA PINE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 20.0; dental; 5,573 people in the service area; designated 03/01/2009). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Deschutes County's severity reading?
After "LA PINE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "LA PINE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", "LA PINE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", "ME - Deschutes County" and "LA PINE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~20 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Deschutes County's high-severity geography?
Deschutes County's 6 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not merely the county line around "LA PINE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 41017. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) , BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_DH.csv (dental) — download the normalized export on our open data page. PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency.

HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 41017 (Deschutes County, OR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.